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Today was once again all about SNC-Lavalin as Gerry Butts went before the House justice committee.

Justin Trudeau’s former top adviser says Jody Wilson-Raybould never raised any concerns with how the Prime Minister’s Office was lobbying her on extending a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) to the Quebec construction and engineering giant until she was moved from the attorney general post in January.

Butts told the House justice committee the former attorney general only raised the issue of the DPA with him once before the shuffle — at the tail-end of a dinner at the Château Laurier hotel — and never framed the overtures of PMO or Privy Council Office staff on the issue as inappropriate.

Charlie Pinkerton Photo

“I am firmly convinced that nothing happened here beyond the normal operations of government,” he said in his opening statement.

This afternoon, Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick and Deputy Minister for Justice Nathalie Drouin were in front of MPs at the committee.

It’s Wernick’s second appearance, and in his opening remarks he denied he’s acted in a partisan way and said he is “profoundly” disappointed by accusations that suggest he is from people who do not know him. Canada’s highest-ranking civil servant also said he never made any threats to Wilson-Raybould over her refusal to broker a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin. Vigliotti has that story as well.

Council chair Dr. Eric Hoskins publicly announced the recommendations from the interim report in Toronto, alongside Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor. Hoskins, a former Ontario health minister, said the council felt the creation of a national drug agency, establishing a pan-Canada formulary and investing in drug data and IT systems necessary to enable the program were the foundational “building blocks” for any national pharmacare program, regardless of its structure.

iPolitics/Matthew Usherwood

A bill that would ban cosmetic animal testing in Canada is expected to be tabled in the House of Commons the week of March 18. After 29 months before the Senate, Bill S-214 passed the Red Chamber last June. It’s now being sponsored by Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu. Moving it along since it landed in the House, however, “turned out to be a bit more complicated than we thought,” she told iPolitics today. Holly Lake has the latest.

In Ontario, a lawyer for former OPP deputy commissioner Brad Blair said the Ford government followed no legal process, abused its power and sunk itself further into conflict of interest with the firing of his client. In a lengthy teleconference today, lawyer Julian Falconer argued that Blair’s firing as a police officer is invalid because the government didn’t follow the process required under the Police Act.

“This is exactly what abuse of power looks like, they make it up as they go, they have not afforded one ounce of process,” Falconer told reporters. “Every police officer down to an auxiliary police officer — who is in essence a volunteer — is entitled to process, is entitled to know what allegations could lead to their termination, is entitled to notice of that, is entitled to answer the case.”

Moudakis Cartoon

“In this case, Brad Blair had no idea that the target of the ombudsman’s investigation was meeting with the commission. Had no opportunity to respond or reply to the allegations that led to the legally embarrassing termination of his 33-year career. Nothing. Not an ounce of process.” More from Marieke Walsh.

Meanwhile next door, Sûreté du Québec director Martin Prud’homme was relieved of his duties pending today an examination of “an allegation concerning a criminal offence,” Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced. That story from the Montreal Gazette.

No doubt still smarting from a broken bromance in the wake of the abrupt end to last week’s summit in Hanoi, Trump said today he would be “very disappointed” if reports that North Korea is rebuilding a long-range rocket site were true, adding that it is too soon to know the intention of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un. “I would be very, very disappointed in Chairman Kim. I don’t think I will be, but we’ll see what happens. We’ll take a look. It will ultimately get solved.” There’s nothing love can’t conquer, after all.

And should Trump see fit to take to Twitter to mock you for not running for president again in 2020, what should you do? If you’re Hillary Clinton, you break out the Mean Girls. To be clear —we’re on board with this.

“(Crooked) Hillary Clinton confirms she will not run in 2020, rules out a third bid for White House.” Aw-shucks, does that mean I won’t get to run against her again? She will be sorely missed!